Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette
Mourners line the entrance to Holy Trinity Church as relatives of Ligonier Township police Lt. Eric A. Eslary arrive for his funeral in May.
Police said Clair Eugene Fink III, 32, of Ligonier, was driving the wrong way on Route 30 when he crashed head-on into a police vehicle driven by Lt. Eric Eslary, 40, of Ligonier, during the early morning hours of May 5.
According to the affidavit filed in the case, Fink’s blood-alcohol content at the time of the crash was 0.197, more than twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania.
Fink will be arraigned later today at the office of District Justice Mark Bilik, according to Trooper Stephen Limani. He’s faces additional charges of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, driving under the influence, homicide by vehicle obedience to traffic control devices, occupant protection, driving on divided highways, reckless driving, and other offenses.
Derek Gifford, 21, a passenger in the van, owned by Westmoreland Pools and Spas, told the Post-Gazette in May that he and Mr. Fink drank most of an 18-pack of beer in the hours leading up to the crash.
The crash occurred around 1:45 a.m. while Lt. Eslary was on patrol in a marked sport utility vehicle. He was on westbound Route 30, cresting a hill near Clark Hollow Road and Idlewild Park, when he slammed head-on into a commercial van being driven against traffic on the divided highway by Mr. Fink, police said.
At the crash scene, four emergency responders -- a trooper, a fire chief, an assistant fire chief and a paramedic -- told the investigating trooper that they smelled "a strong odor of alcohol" on Mr. Fink.
An empty 16-ounce can of Natural Ice was found in the left eastbound lane at the crash site, according to a search warrant filed in May. Another can was found in plain view "in the center portion" of the van, though it is not clear whether that container was empty or open.
Mr. Gifford told state police that he and Mr. Fink worked May 4 in Uniontown until about 7 p.m. They stopped at a beer distributor and bought the beer. They started drinking around 7:20 p.m. "on their way back to the warehouse" and kept drinking until about 9 p.m., the search warrant says.
When done, the men went to the Beehive Showbar, a strip joint in Salem, where they stayed for about an hour. An employee there told the Post-Gazette that neither man had anything to drink inside the establishment or in the parking lot.
The men departed the Beehive around 12:42 a.m., and Mr. Fink "had his last beer," the warrant said Mr. Gifford told police.
Mr. Gifford estimated that his co-worker drank between seven and nine 16-ounce beers and told police that "Fink's driving started to get worse after they left the Beehive Showbar."
From there Mr. Fink drove to a Sheetz in New Alexandria.
"Fink verbally indicated that he was intoxicated," according to the search warrant.
State police believe that Mr. Fink ended up on Route 217 and made an improper left turn onto westbound Route 30 instead of crossing Loyalhanna Creek and making the correct turn onto the eastbound lanes of the divided highway.
Mr. Gifford told police that Mr. Fink's driving was "scary," the affidavit said.
The crash occurred a short time later. Investigators said Lt. Eslary had no warning and no time to get out of the way before the van slammed into him.